AARRRGGHHH!!!

[scooterp7]

Okay, after spending two hours trying to figure out what I thought
would be simple, I give up. If anyone cares to help, here's my
problem. I have a database consisting of a Customers Table. It has
some 1400 entries with name, address, city, etc. O.K., now I need to
create a bill (workorder?,invoice?) for a customer ( #1461) to whom I
have provided service. When I try to use the workorder, it starts with
customer (ID) # 1. I can edit every field except the customer ID. I
was hoping for An "autofill" of all the customers Info by just
inserting the ID# but it won't do that. And I dont want to hit a key
1400+ times to advance it. Any Thoughts? I tried to create workorders
with the wizard to no avail. Hopefully I made it clear what I'm trying
to do. TIA.

 

[John W. Vinson]

Okay, after spending two hours trying to figure out what I thought
would be simple, I give up. If anyone cares to help, here's my
problem. I have a database consisting of a Customers Table. It has
some 1400 entries with name, address, city, etc. O.K., now I need to
create a bill (workorder?,invoice?) for a customer ( #1461) to whom I
have provided service. When I try to use the workorder, it starts with
customer (ID) # 1. I can edit every field except the customer ID. I
was hoping for An "autofill" of all the customers Info by just
inserting the ID# but it won't do that. And I dont want to hit a key
1400+ times to advance it. Any Thoughts? I tried to create workorders
with the wizard to no avail. Hopefully I made it clear what I'm trying
to do. TIA.

It sounds like you're trying to do everything in a Table.

Access isn't just tables. Tables are repositories for data; Queries select and
arrange data; Forms display data onscreen and allow you to edit it; Reports
print things (such as workorders).

I would suggest that you create a Report (based on your table, or tables)
containing the fields which constitute the workorder. You can base this Report
on a Query selecting the desired record (or records, I hope you don't have the
details of the customer's order in the Customer table!!) This Query could
reference a combo box or other control on a Form to allow you to find it.

Take a look at the Northwind sample database which came with Access.

Just be aware that Access is a considerably more complex application than
(say) Word or Excel. If you expect to become an expert at Access in two hours'
work, you're either a genius... or being unrealistically optomistic (or
perhaps both).

John W. Vinson [MVP]

 

[scooterp7]

Thanks. Trying like crazy. Creating forms,reports,queries and tables
like theres no tomorrow. I just can't seem to get past the fact that
when I "select" Workorders in the table, a form pops up with all the
fields already filled for customer # 1. I assumed I could enter
customer # 1461 in that field and have it "autofill" that customers
info. If I try to fill the fields manually, customer # 1 is now lost
and has been turned into customer #1461. RATS!!

 

[scooterp7]

Hmmmm.. Methinks I just fingered it out.

 

[John W. Vinson]

Hmmmm.. Methinks I just fingered it out.

A Form opens (by default) to the first record... but you can use the Combo Box
wizard to put a combo on it to *move* to any desired record.

One thing you need to (and may well have!) get clear: forms *are just
windows*. You're not "filling in" the form with data about a customer; you're
sliding the window to *display* the existing data about that customer.

John W. Vinson [MVP]